Envelope opener



Dec. 16, 1941. w. FLYNN ENVELOPE OPENER Filed March 4, 1941 (9 L I W grwmbo'v 7074 Wilfordmy Patented Dec. 16, 1941- UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE ENVELOPE OPENER Wilford Flynn, Bedford, Ind. Application March 4,1941, Serial No. 381,746

(or. s -241) 8 Claims.

My invention relates to the art of envelope opening devices and it particularly has for its objects: to provide a device for use, principally, in oflices and other places where many letters are received daily; to provide a device by which an edge of the envelope can be severed for access to the contents without damaging the contents; to provide a device that is neat in appearance and one which can be manufactured at low cost and which will efllciently serve its intended purposes.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed description, and then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is an "enlarged detail vertical longitudinal section on'the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the detail of Fig. 2 but on the same scale as Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the movable knife blade and stop member.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the same from the side opposite that shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the stationary knife blade.

In the drawing, in which like numbers of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, I represents a base having an upturned flange 2 along one edge and a finger groove 3 in its top face. At one end of the base is a combined knife holding and guiding bridge member 4, the vertical sides of which are vertically slotted as at 6 and 1, the slots merging with each other. Slot 6 receives and guides the movable blade l4, while the slot 1 receives the stationary blade 8.

Lugs 5 extend sideways of the bridge 4 and carry blade-adjusting screws 25, best shown in Fig. 3.

The blade 8 is held up in place by means of removable plates II which are secured in grooves l2, on the underside of the base I, by screws l3, the blade 8 having notches I0 to receive the plates H (see Figs. 2 and 6). The blade 8 also has a bevelled cutting edge 9 which does not extend above the upper face of the base I, see Fig. 2.

The blade M has slots 15 to ride across the plates H as the bladeis moved down and up.

The blade l4 also has a slot l6 which lies, prefer-- ably, at an inclination to the horizontal and the blade at the top of the slot is bevelled as at I! to form a cutting edge. At the bottom of the slot IS the blade is thinned to provide a portion [8 set apredetermined distance away from blade 8 (the cutting edge face lies against blade 8) and this portion l8 projects above the plane of the top surface of base I a sufficient distance to constitute an abutment against which the edge to be severed of the envelope is brought to rest (see dotted lines of envelope in Fig. 2)

The blade M is secured at l9 to a plunger 20 that passes through a, bearing hole in the bridge 4 and the cup or recessed boss 23 and carries a button 2|. The plunger 20 is normally held up, with the blade l4 raised, by a spring 22 located in the boss 23 (see normal position of parts in Fig. 2).

In order to take up wear and maintain proper contact between the movable and stationary blades l4, 8, set screws 25 are provided in the lugs 5.

By reason of the inclination of cutting edge I! when plunger 20 is depressed a shearing action takes place, thus severing a thin edge-strip from the envelope 26, the severed strip eventually being deposited in the trough 24 of the base.

The provision of the groove 3 enables the finger to be placed under the edge of the envelope when lifting the same from the base after the opposite edge has been cut.

In using the device the envelope is laid on the base I against the flange 2 and slid from left to right in Figs. 1 and .2 until its leading edge engages cutter portion I 8. The envelope is held down to the base with one hand and plunger 20 is moved down by the pressure of the other hand on button 2|.

The abutment part l8 may be designed normally to project upabove the base level enough to stop one envelope or it may be designed to project higher to take two or more superposed envelopes at a time, in which latter event the slot l6 would of course be correspondingly enlarged upwardly and knife edge I! raised proportionately Other modifications of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art, within the scope of the invention and the appended claims.

From the foregoing description, taken in con nection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought that the construction, operation and advantages of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art to which it relates.

What I claim is:

1. In an envelope opener, a base, a bridge member on the base, said bridge member and base having knife-blade receiving slots, a stationary knife-blade and a movable knife-blade located in said slots in face-to-face contact, said stationary knife-blade having its cutting edge located so as not to project above'the top face plane of the base, said movable knife-blade having a slot the upper edge of which is constituted by the cutting edge of the blade, the lower edge of the slot lying in a plane sufliciently above the face plane of the base to constitute an envelope edge stop and being ofiset away from the stationary blade a predetermined distance, and yieldable means continuously tending to hold up the movable blade.

2. In an envelope opener, a base, a bridge member on the base, said bridge member and base having knife-blade receiving slots, a stationary knife-blade and a movable knife-blade located in said slots in face-to-faoe contact, said stationary knife-blade having its cutting edge located so as not to project above the top face plane of the base, said movable knife-blade having a slot the upper edge of which is constituted by the cutting edge of the blade, the lower edge of the slot lying in a plane sufiiciently above the face plane of the base to constitute an envelope edge stop and being offset away from the stationary blade a predetermined distance, and yieldable means continuously tending to hold up the movable blade, said base having a flange against which envelopes mat be guided.

3. In an envelope opener, a base, a bridge member on the base, said bridge member and base having knife-blade receiving slots, 2. stationary knife-blade and a movable knife-blade located in said slots in face-to-face contact, said stationary knife-blade having its cutting edge located so as not to project above the top face plane of the base, said movable knife-blade having a slot the upper edge of which is constituted by the cutting edge of the blade, the lower edge of the slot lying in a plane sufiiciently above the face plane of the base to constitute an envelope edge stop and being offset away from the stationary blade a predetermined distance, yieldable means continuously tending to hold up the movable blade, and means on the bridge for adjusting the contact of said blades.

4. In an envelope opener, a base having an upstanding flange along one side and a finger groove in its top face, a bridge member extending across the base and having transversely slotted vertical walls, the slots extending down through and across the base, a fixed blade located in the slots and having a cutting edge flush with the top surface of ,the base, said fixed blade having recesses inf its bottom edge, retaining plates secured to the base and in part located in said re=- cesses for holding the fixed blade in place, a movable blade also located in the slots in face-tfaoe contact with the fixed blade, said movable blade having across slot inclined to the horizontal and being provided with an upper bevelled cutting edge and a lower abutment element the latter being offset with respect to said upper cutting edge, and spring means for holding said movable blade normally elevated with its" abutment element and slot above the level of the top face of the base. i

5. In an envelope opener, a base having an upstanding fiange along one side and a finger groove in its top face, a bridge member extending across the base and having transversely slotted vertical walls, the slots extending down through and across the base, a fixed blade located in the slots and having a cutting edge flush with the top surface of the base, said fixed blade having recesses in its bottom edge, retaining plates secured to the base and in part located in said recesses for holding the fixed blade in place, a movable blade also located in the slots in'face to-face contact with the fixed blade, said movable blade having a cross slot inclined to the hori- 75 zontal and being provided with an upper bevelled cutting edge and a lower abutment element the latter being onset with respect to said upper cutting edge,,spring means for holding said movable blade normally elevated with its abutment element and slot above the level of the top face of the base, and means for adjusting the contact of said blades.

6. In an envelope opener, a base having an upstanding flange along one side and a finger groove in its top face, a bridge member extending across the base and having transversely slotted vertical walls, the slots extending down through and across the base, a fixed blade located in the slots and having a cutting edge fiush with the top surface of the base, said fixed blade having recesses in its bottom edge, retaining plates secured to the base and in part located in said recesses for holding the fixed blade in place, a movable blade also located in the slots in faceto-face contact with the fixed blade, said movable blade having a cross slot inclined to the horizontal and being provided with an upper bevelled cutting edge and a lower abutment element the latter being offset with respect to said upper cutting edge, spring means for holding said movable blade normally elevated with its abutment element and slot above the level of the top face of the base, means for adjusting the contact of said blades, said means comprising set screws carried by the bridge member and engaging the movable blade for adjusting the contact of said blades and taking up wear.

7. In an envelope opener, a base, a bridge member'on the base, said bridge memberand base having vertically disposed knife-blade receiving slots extending crosswise of the base, a stationary knife and a movable knife located in said slots in face-to-face contact, said stationary blade having its cutting edge so located as not to project above the top face plane of the base, said movable knife-blade having a slotthe upper edge of which is constituted by the cutting edge of the blade, the lower edge of the slot lying in a plane sufliciently above the face plane of the base to constitute an envelope edge stop and being offset away from the stationary blade 9. predetermined distance, and yieldable means continuously tending to hold up the movable blade, said base having a trough to receive the severed edges of envelopes.

8. In an envelope opener, a base having an upstanding flange along one side and a finger groove in its top face, a bridge member extending across the base and having transversely slotted vertical walls, the slots extending down through and across the base, a fixed blade located in the slots and having a cutting edge flush with the top surface of the base, said fixed blade having recesses in its bottom edge, retaining plates secured to the base and in part located in said recesses for holding the fixed blade in place, a movable blade also located in the slots in faceto-face contact with the fixed blade, said movable blade having a cross slot inclined to the horizontal and being provided with an upper bevelled cutting edge and a lower abutment element the latter being offset with respectto said upper cutting edge, and spring means for holding said movable blade normally elevated with its abutment element and slot above the level of the top face of the base, said base having a trough to receive the severed edges of envelopes.

WILFORD FLYNN. 

